Giant camera in Beijing, China~

[pierre506]

Name: Extreme Eye camera

[pierre506]

Monster

[pierre506]

Real plate~

[pierre506]

Amazing Inside Focusing~

[richardman]

How many megapixels? XD

So... what is the exposure time be like? 30 mins or more?

[Corran]

Nice, wow. Any pictures of the results??

My back-of-the-napkin calculations assuming bright sunny day and a wide aperture lens (looks like it to me) the exposure should only be about 15-30 seconds I think for WP?

[dsphotog]

Amazing Inside Focusing~


How is the image projected is black & white?

[pierre506]

Wet plate collodion~

[StoneNYC]

Saw this on FB, I think the poster said 1.2m x 1.2m collodion prints.

[Tracy Storer]

Look again, the B+W projected image is in a B+W image.......

[Drew Bedo]

I don't see well enough to really tell . . .Is this REAL?

Remember the guy (from Chicago I think?) who was trying to get funding for a huge portrait camera a year ago or so? Thewe were pictures of a wooden field camera mounted on a flat bed trailer thet were CGI creations.

Is this Chinese rig a reality or only a concept? If this is real, my Gast is totally Flabbered.

In another trecent hrea hered, there is a question about what lens will cover 24x24 inches. This thread should answer that question, but I don't see any specs on the lens.

[pierre506]

It's real.
It uses Nikon apo-nikkor 890mm lens so far.

[Dan Fromm]

It's real.
It uses Nikon apo-nikkor 890mm lens so far.


Interesting. Have you seen it? Touched it?

I ask because the lens shown seems to be larger than an 890/0 Apo Nikkor and because the 890 covers less than 700 mm at infinity. Just enough coverage for portraits at 1:1 on 1.2m x 1.2m, though.

IIRC, Manarchy's monstrosity had chair for the subject on the trailer bed. If the Beijing utility trailer cam is used for portraits, where does the subject sit/stand?

Pierre, roughly 20 years ago I worked on a project with the State Statistical Bureau. I came away from it convinced that what the PRC makes best is lies. I hope things have changed since then. The one friend I have from that exercise is now a US citizen and lives in the US. He still studies the PRC-- doesn't visit any more, the last time he went there he was arrested and jailed -- and says nothing has changed.

[Jonathan Barlow]

Dan, China has changed. I've been there and I wasn't even arrested.

[pierre506]

dear Dan,
The original design target of the owners was shooting 1:1 project as you said. The infinity landscape is not their meal.
Actually, the camera was just finished. The bellows has some problems...
I don't wanna talk about politics here.
However, every country's government lies including the PRC, the US...

[ic-racer]

Just wondering, why make it look like some antique camera? Does look like it could be a Nikkor process lens under the faux brass.

[Tracy Storer]

Pierre, looks great, and lots of fun. Looking closely, I can clearly see the Apo-Nikkor behind the big shiny lenshood. Good luck getting the bellows sorted and making images !
Did you build it? Is it for you or for somebody else, we would all love to read more.

[pierre506]

dear Tracy, it's not mine.
I mentioned on Facebook that the camera consumes money as a monster eats grass.
Three guys in Beijing built the camera.One of them is my friend.
I also hope to see any result of the monster.

[Drew Bedo]

I would think that exchanging the bellows for a solid sliding box would be one viable alternative. A composit model that grafts a modest ULF canera front end onto the sliding box might work even better.

The idea is to eliminate the complexity of an oversized bellows. With a camera this big, I don't think that it needs to look like an antique. I would rather solve the problems of constructing an effective and controllable flexible dark enclosure; the camera itself.

My imagination is captured by the concept. I hope that this is a real project. If it is, I wish them well.

Hope to see some images posted here soon.

[Tin Can]

I think the camera is well designed. Using a double axle trailer is a great start. Double axle is easier to maneuver and since it is much smaller than a box van it can be staged in more places, even inside buildings.

The brass lens hood is a great also, as it adds to the look. The mirror front is good for sitter to admire their visage. The front standard wire riggings are good for stability. A big bellows adds to the show.

The tracks on the rear door copy self casing camera design. I am sure the front standard slides right inside the box and the door/ramp closes. White roof good for sunny hot days.

These trailers have front access doors, all the better to get inside and to store all supplies.

This is performance art photography, we all do it. When we setup our AA camera and draw a crowd, we are performing AND taking pictures while maintaining tradition.

The lens is fine and they have enough bellows draw, combined with the box, to mount an even longer lens. Then the limitation will be the trailer interior dimensions.

Bravo!

[StoneNYC]

I would think that exchanging the bellows for a solid sliding box would be one viable alternative. A composit model that grafts a modest ULF canera front end onto the sliding box might work even better.

The idea is to eliminate the complexity of an oversized bellows. With a camera this big, I don't think that it needs to look like an antique. I would rather solve the problems of constructing an effective and controllable flexible dark enclosure; the camera itself.

My imagination is captured by the concept. I hope that this is a real project. If it is, I wish them well.

Hope to see some images posted here soon.

Why are you so down on this project? Sheesh man, if you can't do it yourself don't criticize the intense effort someone else obviously put into something.

[Ari]

Why are you so down on this project? Sheesh man, if you can't do it yourself don't criticize the intense effort someone else obviously put into something.

I have no idea why you would think Drew is "down on this project".

[jumanji]

Off topic: I thought Facebook is banned in China?

[pierre506]

Off topic: I thought Facebook is banned in China?
Yes.
Twitter, YouTube,Google...., too.

[Cor]

Please guys, as much as I like to discuss politics in present China (or Europe, Russia, USA..) let's refrain from it, in order to keep the line with Pierre open. I do read the papers so I am well aware about the The Great Firewall and so on, so let's go back on this very interesting project, and wait for more hands on experiences from Pierre..

Best,

Cor

[richardman]

BTW, Pierre, I like your "Two Boys" photo from the SWC a lot. Good catch.

[Rayt]

BTW, Pierre, I like your "Two Boys" photo from the SWC a lot. Good catch.

Yes nice shot. SWC is the perfect street machine.

[Tin Can]

Please guys, as much as I like to discuss politics in present China (or Europe, Russia, USA..) let's refrain from it, in order to keep the line with Pierre open. I do read the papers so I am well aware about the The Great Firewall and so on, so let's go back on this very interesting project, and wait for more hands on experiences from Pierre..

Best,

Cor

+1.

[Rayt]

+1.

+1. Large Format Photography is my sanctuary from all that c**p so please let me be.

[Tin Can]

+1. Large Format Photography is my sanctuary from all that c**p so please let me be.

-1.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I would love to see the images from this beast!

[Roger Thoms]

I would love to see the images from this beast!

Yes would be great to see some images and a YouTube video would be nice too.

Roger

[Drew Bedo]

Why are you so down on this project? Sheesh man, if you can't do it yourself don't criticize the intense effort someone else obviously put into something.

My apologies to the creators. I am captivated by the concept of a mobile giant camera. The giant camera that made the news last year turned out to be what I thought of as a stunt; mostly hype and show. I was skeptical of this new effort at first because of that. This is an open forum and I have expressed several ideas about alternative in design and construction. My suggestions here are not intended as criticism, just alternative ways of constructing a giant camera.

You are right: I cannot bring forward a project of this type for several reasons. Yet I would hope that another giant camera is made by others with rhe resources time and skills to make it an effective and functional reality. If they find anything I have said here to be useful they may use it.

[hoffner]

My apologies to the creators. I am captivated by the concept of a mobile giant camera. The giant camera that made the news last year turned out to be what I thought of as a stunt; mostly hype and show. I was skeptical of this new effort at first because of that. This is an open forum and I have expressed several ideas about alternative in design and construction. My suggestions here are not intended as criticism, just alternative ways of constructing a giant camera.

You are right: I cannot bring forward a project of this type for several reasons. Yet I would hope that another giant camera is made by others with rhe resources time and skills to make it an effective and functional reality. If they find anything I have said here to be useful they may use it.

Drew,
you don't own anybody any apology. You comment was a constructive one and in any way did not look down on the project.

[Drew Bedo]

HThanks hoffner:


ere is wild idea.

What about a panoramic camera built into the side of a trailer or shipping container? Maybe a smaller verticle format, but with the longer horizontal dimension. Film might be special ordered through the Canham co-operative special order for ULF films: a roll of film 16 or 24 inches wide and as long as shipping and money allows.

The camera would have a curved film plane and a swinging lens with slit shutter . . .a mechanism much like the small format cameras with a swinginf lens.

This is offered as a wild idea. I recognize that there are many difficulties and obstacles, film is perhaps the perhaps biggest one.

[hoffner]

It seems to me the main problem would then be the final product - what would you do with the film? Contact print it? It would then be better to make a direct positive image, without the intermediate hassle of the film.

[Dan Fromm]

Drew, interesting idea and a cute way of getting around the sad fact that relatively readily accessible long focus lenses cover narrow angles.

I've always wondered how the people who've made tent or van cams composed landscape shots with them. Not a problem with this thread's subject since its a portable (!) camera for making huge portraits.

[StoneNYC]

My apologies to the creators. I am captivated by the concept of a mobile giant camera. The giant camera that made the news last year turned out to be what I thought of as a stunt; mostly hype and show. I was skeptical of this new effort at first because of that. This is an open forum and I have expressed several ideas about alternative in design and construction. My suggestions here are not intended as criticism, just alternative ways of constructing a giant camera.

You are right: I cannot bring forward a project of this type for several reasons. Yet I would hope that another giant camera is made by others with rhe resources time and skills to make it an effective and functional reality. If they find anything I have said here to be useful they may use it.

And I will offer my apologies to you, as I obviously miss read what you were saying and I'm sorry for that. it is always good for someone to have more ideas thrown at them so that something might stick and helping out, I see no you were just trying to do that and I'm sorry for miss reading your comment.

[Drew Bedo]

Stone: We're good.

Back ti the OP: What about the Giant Camera from China? Any images? I'd like to see a three foot tall Calla lily.

Looking at the pictures of the camera itself again, I am getting flash-backs to "The Guns Of Navarone" and the old Puffed Rice cerial commercials (que The 1812 Overture!), LOL.

[pierre506]

Dear Drew, bigger and bigger, larger and larger... it's endless.
I told some rich guys who were interested to invest to build such kind of large project.
' Don't waste money and energy. '
' Buying some fine photos as the investment is the best supporting to the photography, please! '

[Drew Bedo]

I agree with that. Many people admire my work, say how wonderful it is and then walk off to some other booth. When someone likes one of my prints enough to pay for it and walk od=ff with it under their arm . .that is true "Art Appreciation!"

Bigger? "A man's reach should dexceed his grasp . . ."

[jesse]

Dear Drew, bigger and bigger, larger and larger... it's endless.
I told some rich guys who were interested to invest to build such kind of large project.
' Don't waste money and energy. '
' Buying some fine photos as the investment is the best supporting to the photography, please! '

Hello Pierre, nice to meet you here!